“I’m typically up at five in the morning. 

First thing I do is check messages from the teams, make sure everyone’s signed in, deal with any issues, that’s before I even leave the house.  

I’ve been doing this for 15-20 years now, mostly within social housing, but also within the wider facilities management and communal cleaning industry. It isn’t a career I really planned for. I was actually an English teacher in Barcelona. While I was there, there was a big construction boom with British companies building communal housing, and I ended up meeting people in FM through that. That’s really how I got into it. 

Officially, I’m an Area Supervisor, I check attendance, solve issues, look after the compliance,  but unofficially, I’d say my role is making sure people are happy and supported. That’s both the cleaners I manage and the residents we work around every day.  

It’s a very energetic role physically and mentally. It requires really good communication skills and a lot of relationship building. I cover a pretty wide area – Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington, Blackburn, and all the surrounding areas, really- and a lot of my team start at four in the morning, so I’ll check in with them early. They know I’m around if they need anything. It’s not just work stuff sometimes, it’s life stuff too. I believe visibility matters, and I don’t like managing from a distance. If something’s wrong, I’ll go to site and talk to people face to face. Most things can be sorted that way. I won an internal Atlas award recently because of the feedback around how I interact with residents and teams. That meant a lot because it showed me that the human side of my role is valued.  

I’ve done this long enough that I know many of the residents by name, and I spend time chatting with people. What keeps me in this industry is the people side of it. I genuinely enjoy the relationships you build. A lot of the people I work with have become friends over time because we speak every day and support each other through life, not just work.  

The most fulfilling moments are when you walk onto a site, and people are genuinely happy to see you. Residents will stop me to say how lovely everything looks or ask how I’m doing. That makes a massive difference. In communal housing, especially, you become part of people’s routines, helping them feel safe, comfortable and connected. Some residents live alone, and seeing familiar faces every week matters to them. 

I love walking away from a site on a Friday knowing it looks spotless and hearing residents say they appreciate it. That’s when you think, ‘Yeah, this is why I do it’. 

I will say that this job is not without challenge. The reality is, sometimes people let you down, and that can be really hard, especially when you’ve supported them. I’ve always tried to manage people with empathy rather than fear. People respond better when you work through things together, and I will always do my best to work with someone who’s struggling. I don’t mind mistakes, but I find dishonesty difficult. The job has taught me to trust my instincts with people. Experience helps you recognise behaviours, patterns, and situations much quicker over time.  

I think a lot of people underestimate how intense the role can be. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes, and it’s so much more than ‘just cleaning’, especially in this industry. You’re maintaining environments where vulnerable people live. If these services weren’t done properly, people would notice very quickly because the buildings wouldn’t feel safe, clean or welcoming.  

There’s also an emotional side to this role that people don’t realise. Staff often come to you with personal problems because they trust you, and you become someone they rely on emotionally as well as professionally.  

Every building, every resident and every team is different. You have to be adaptable, approachable and prepared for the unexpected. One of the funniest things I remember was after a residents’ party last summer. They’d had a big gathering outside – drinks, food, decorations everywhere. We came back in on Monday morning, and the whole area was covered in green paint spots. The flags, the paving, everything had these green marks all over it. It definitely wasn’t what we were expecting to walk into on a Monday morning. 

If someone asked me what it takes to work in this industry, I’d tell them that you can technically do the role without being a people person, but to really succeed in it, empathy and communication are essential.